Attachment holder for sewing machines



May 11, 1943. R. J. SAILER ATTACHMENT HOLDER FOR SEWING MACHINES -Fi1edOct. 5, 1941 M/ Mm W5 n W d u R III-A" II'IIIIIIIIA.

VIII/III! Patented May 11, 1943 ATTACHMENT HOLDER FOR SEWING MAC HIN ESRudolph J. Sailor, Townley, N. J assignor to The Singer Manufacturing N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Company, Elizabeth,

Application October a, 1941, Serial No. 413,433

7 Claims.

The invention relates to an improved holder or support for work-guidingattachments for sewing machines. More specifically it is an improvementin attachment holders of. the type by which a-binder maybe selectivelymoved into and out of an operative position. I

The invention has for a primary object to provide an improved attachmentholder for a sewing machine which is so constructed that the attachmentmay be readily shifted, in one manual operation, upward and away fromengagement with a complementary pocket formed in the Work-supportingplate of a sewing machine, whereby to readily adapt said machine forordinary sewing with minimum obstruction at the work-supporting surface.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new attachment holderof the above type with an improved releasable latching means forsecuring the attachment in operative position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improvedattachment holder of the above character in which the parts are sopositioned that the operator, in normally grasping the attachment in onehand to shift it to its inoperative or out of the Way position, maysimultaneously release the latch to permit said shift.

With the above and other objects in view, as Will hereinafter appear,the invention comprises the devices, combinations, and arrangements ofparts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawingof a preferred embodiment of the invention and the advantages attainedthereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a binderembodying the improved support applied to the throat-plate of a sewingmachine and showing in broken lines the binder moved to inoperativeposition. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line2-2, Fig. 1. Fig.3 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line33, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line4-4, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is an elevational View of the binder taken from theside toward which it may be'shifted.

'Referringto the drawing, the present improvement is shown as embodiedin a sewing machine having acloth-plate I with a throat-plate 2 se-.

short portion 1 positioned transverse to the line of feed of the workand havin a seating surface 1 and alonger p r n e ten in ea w rdly,parallel to the line of feed of the workand bent to stand in a planeoblique to the seating surface I' as shown best in Fig. 2. The.illllqture of portions 7 and 8 of the supporting arm provides a leadingcorner 9 which is turned down, rounded and made smooth whereby to reduceto a minimum the resistance offered by said corner to the passage ofwork through the machine when the attachment is shifted into itsinoperative position and the machine is being used for ordinary sewing,as will be more clearly set forth. later herein.

Swingably mounted on the rearwardiy disposed free end of portion 8 ofthe supportin arm is an L-shaped swingable bracket In which pivots abouta shouldered pivot screw H threaded into and secured to said arm-portion8, and which bracket is held in proper spaced relation with said arm bymeans of washer l2. The bracket I0 is formed at its free end with atransverse p t n I3 havin an atta hment-receivin s at It to which is adia y sec red by screws .1 an angle-bracket I15 carrying a binder l5 se-vcured thereto by any suitable means such as soldering.

Inasmuch as 'the'binder l5, per se, form no part of the presentinvention, detailed illustration and descriptionthereof is notdeemednecessary herein. For a more complete disclosure of the specific binder.shown herewith, reference may be had to my prior U. S. Patent NO.-2,026,484, dated Dec. .31, 1935.

The transverse portion I 3 of the bracket I0 is bent to stand in a planeoblique t0 the main portion of the bracket so that, as the bracket isswung about the pivot screw I I from the inoperative position shown bythe broken lines of ig. 1 into the operative position, the plane of theatta v n seat I ;3' approaches parall ism With the throat-plate Z; exactparallelism being reached-when the binder I5 is in operative positionand the bottom surfaceof the an lebracket l5 is'seated in ,a stablesuppertedposition on the'top surface of the throat-plate 2, as shown bythe full lines in .l and more p ticularly in Figs. 3 and 4. V 1

It is clear that, as the binder Li is'shiftedabout the axisiof thepivot-screw H, which is inclined to the 'planjeof the throat-plate 2, itis, at the sametime, raised above the surface of the thr at plat toprovide cleara ce wherebyaid binder may be readily and convenien lyshifte tive position thus limiting the extreme position of the binder inthe line of feed of the work. The delivery end of the binder is receivedwithin a depressed pocket I! having rounded edge corners and a closedbottom, and formed in the throat-plate 2 so that the bindingmaterial iscontinuously positioned to properly enclose the edge of the fabric beingbound. With this construction there is no opportunity for the fabric' tobe deflected into or foul the mechanism beneath the throat-plate withthe result that the feed of the work is easy and unimpeded both forbinding and ordinary sewing. Further, by providing in the throat-plate 2a pocket I! instead of an aperture, which is sometimes employed, theparts of the lower stitching mechanism are protected against theinfiltration of foreign matter with a resultant decrease in servicingrequirements. 7

A'latch-member l8 pivotally secured by screw I9 to a supporting ear 20struck up from one edge portion of the bracket I is formed at one endwith a handle-portion 2! and at the other end with a downturned lip orfinger portion 22 which engages the lateral edges of both the arm 8 andthe bracket II], as is best shown in Fig. 4. A helical compressionspring 23 positioned by a guide pin 24 secured to the bracket pressesupwardly against the handle-portion 2| and thus urges the finger-portion22 downwardly. A triangular-shaped portion 25 formed on oneedge of therearwardly extending portion 8 is bent slightly downwardly to stand in aplane oblique to the portion 8 and provides a guiding cam surface forthe depending latch finger 22 so that, as the binder is swung from theinoperative to the operative position, the latch finger 22 rides up onthe cam surface 25 and transversely across the fixed arm portion 8 todrop finally into a latched position of engagement with the lateraledges of both the arm 8 and the bracket l0 when said arm and bracket aresubstantially in register as clearly shown in the full lines of Fig. 1.The cam surface 25 further improves the manipulae tion efficiency of thedevice inasmuch as it eliminates the necessity of grasping the latchhandle 2 I, to release the latch when returning the binder to theoperative position. That is, the binder may be engaged by the hand ofthe operator at any convenient point and. simply pushed to its operativeposition. It is clear that, in this latched position, the stop l6prevents any further clockwise turning of the swingable bracket I0 whilethe latch-finger 22 prevents the counterclockwise rotation of saidbracket. The binder is thus positively but releasably held stationary inoperative position.

Whenever it is desired to swing the binder out of its operative positionwhich, for example, may occur frequently where a single sewing machineis employed to handle several operations on one garment, it is onlynecessary to first apply a slight pressure downwardly at the handle end2| of the latch-member l8 and then to pull said handle transversely awayfrom the line of feed which will swing the bracket and binder about theaxis of the inclined pivot screw H to adapt the machine for ordinarysewing. The handle portion 2i of the latch member I8 is formed. with aturned-up concave cylindrical surface, positioned closely adjacent thehead of the binder I5, so that, in order to conveniently grasp thedevice, the fore and middle fingers of the operators hand are naturallypressed down on the handle portion with the thumb placed against thefront of the binder head. In this manner, the operator, in normallygrasping the binder to shift it to its inoperative position, maysimultaneously release th latch at precisely the correct moment to allowthe binder to be freely and conveniently shifted to its inoperativeposition. Downward pressure on the handle 2| raises the latch-finger 22,above the edge of the portion 8 of the fixed arm, thus permitting thebracket ID to be freely swung-out of register with the fixed arm-portion8.

In this swung-out or inoperative position, the parts of the binderhaving any considerable vertical extent are removed sufficiently fromthe line of feed of the work to afford a minimum of obstruction tothe'passage of material through the machine in the course of ordinarysewing.

In this connection, the rounded contour of the corner 9 of arm I and theinclined leading edgeof the cam surface portion 25, which havelittlevertical extent, have been so shaped as to further reduce the resistanceto the flow of material over the work-supporting surface.

From the foregoing it will be perceived that I have provided an improvedholder for abinder for a sewing machine by means of which the binder maybe automatically latched in operative position, conveniently releasedtherefrom by slight downward pressure and swung away from or into saidoperative position by easy manipulation whereby the sewing machine isreadily adapted to either of two sewing functions and with substantiallyno increased resistance to the flow of material through the machine'dueto the presence of the adapting device.

While the sewing machine attachment holder of the binder type has beenherein described in general terms, it is to be understood that theinvention is equally useful with other types of work-guiding attachmentssuch, for example, as strip guides and hemmers. Further, the inven-,tion has been specifically-illustrated herein as applied to aconstruction in which the sewing machine attachment holder is secured toa'throatplate. It is clearly within the scope of the invention to securesaid holder to any work-supporting, part of a sewing machine. i

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the invention may,,without departure from is essential attributes, be embodied in; variousspecific forms other than; that shown' and described, which latter is tobe. considered in all respects as illustrative of "the invention and notrestrictive; reference beinghad to the appended claims rather than tothe foregoing, description to indicate the scope of theinvention.

Having thus set forth the nature of the inven-. tion, what I claimherein is: 5

1. In a sewing machine, the .combination'ofa binder, a throat-platehaving a-needle-hole, feeddog clearance slots and aclosed-bottomedpocket formed therein ,for receiving th delivery-endportion of said binder, and supporting means for pivotally securingthebinder to the throat-plate. said supporting means including a'pivotal; axis inclined to thethroat-plate whereby th -single act ofswinging the binder. away from the line of feed also eifects .a raisingof .the binder above the throat-plateand out of. said pocket; 4 ,f if I'i 2. In a sewing machine, the combination with a detachable throat-platehaving a needle-hole and a closed-bottomed pocket, of a work-guidingelement removably received in said pocket, and means for supporting saidwork-guiding element on the throat-plate and in the pocket of saidthroat-plate comprising a horizontal supporting arm fixed to thethroat-plate, a bracket carrying said guide and swingable in a planeoblique to the throat-plate and pivoted at one end to said supportingarm, and latching means including a spring-pressed lever having a handleportion positioned closely adjacent said work-guiding element andcarried by the swingable bracket for automatically and releasablyengaging the fixed supporting arm when said bracket and arm aresubstantially in register.

3. An attachment holder for sewing machines comprising, a supporting armhaving a seating surface and adapted to be secured to a sewing machinework-supporting member, a swingable attachment-supporting bracketpivotally mounted at'one end on said arm and having at the opposite endan attachment-receiving seat, and a lever disposed longitudinally ofsaid swingable bracket and fulcrumed on an axis transverse thereto andhaving a handle portion at the end adjacent the attachment-receivingseat and a depending latch finger at the end remote therefrom forreleasably securing said swingable bracket to said supporting arm in apredetermined relative position.

- 4. In a sewing machine attachment holder having an operative and aninoperative position, a fixed supporting arm, a swingable bracketfulcrumed on said arm and formed with a downturned edge-portionaffording a stop member against which an edge-portion of the arm bearswhen the bracket is swung into operative position, a pivotedspring-pressed latch member carfulcrumed on said supporting arm andhaving an attachment-receiving seat remote from said fulcrum, and alatch-lever pivotally mounted on said bracket for releasably lockingsaid bracket in its operative position, said latch-lever having at oneend a lip for engaging the supporting arm and having at its other end anoperating handle disposed adjacent the seat for the work-directingattachment and in position so that the operator, in grasping thework-directing attachment in one hand'to shift it to its inoperativeposition, may simultaneously release the latch permitting the attachmentto be conveniently shifted to its inoperative position.

6. In a sewing machine attachment holder having an operative and aninoperative position, a fixed supporting arm having an edge-portion bentdown to afford a cam surface, a swingable bracket fulcrumed on saidsupporting arm and having an attachment-receiving seat remote from saidfulcrum, a pivoted spring-pressed latch lever carried by said bracketand formed at one edge with a depending lip which rides upon said camsurface and transversely across the top of the fixed arm to drop into alatched position of engagement with the lateral edges of both said armand bracket when the bracket is swung from an inoperative to anoperative position.

7. In a sewing machine attachment holder having an operative and aninoperative position, a fixed supporting arm provided at one end with aseating surface, a swingable bracket fulcrumed at one end on said arm atthat end of the arm remote from said seating surface, said bracketcarrying at its other end an attachment-receiving seat, and alatch-lever mounted on and extending longitudinally of said bracket andformed with a handle portion at the end adjacent theattachment-receiving seat and with a depending latch-finger portion atthe end remote therefrom. said lever being pivoted between its two endson an axis transverse to said bracket, whereby a slight downwardpressure on said handle raises said latch-finger to permit the bracketto be freely shifted from an operative to an inoperative position.

RUDOLPH J. SAILER.

